Present Tense
by Cherylann Rivers
Summary: As Frank begins to move on with his life away at college, Joe starts to feel the loss of his best friend. It is only if he is able to get the perfect present for his brother that he hopes he can somehow show Frank how much he really means to him. Frank, though, has his own surprises in store… This story was written in 2008 for a contest called "Carefully Wrapped Presents."
1. Chapter 1

Present Tense

Chapter 1

"Earth to Joe!" Vanessa Bender's voice reached Joe Hardy's ears as he looked over at his pretty blonde girlfriend, seated across from him in their favorite booth at Mr. Pizza.

Smiling sheepishly, Joe reached over and gently squeezed her hand. "Sorry, Van. What'd you say? I think I missed it," he replied, slightly embarrassed at having been caught off guard.

Vanessa sighed and gave a small smile before replying. "Joe," she began gently, "It's not that I mind that you missed what I said now, or two minutes ago, or even this morning. It's that you've been missing a lot lately, and I think, after all this time, you'd feel comfortable telling me why. Go ahead," she encouraged. "I don't bite."

Joe snorted, immediately receiving a prompt smack from his girlfriend.

"Sorry!" Joe said, finally smiling and holding up his hands in a gesture of defense. "I guess I should have left that comment alone."

"I'm going to the ladies room," Vanessa responded, evenly. "I expect another refill on my drink and at least some sort of explanation. Okay?" Any more joking was gone from her voice as concern for her long-time boyfriend took over. At least Joe was making small talk again and had a glint of sparkle left in his baby blue eyes. Still, she was concerned—very much so—about his behavior as of late, and she wasn't about to let him off the hook quite so easily.

Turning to leave the booth, she blew Joe a kiss, deciding to leave him alone with his thoughts for least a few minutes. Perhaps later he'd find the time to share some of those thoughts with her.

Watching Vanessa leave the table, Joe felt the smile fall from his lips again. It had felt good to laugh again, but the feeling didn't last. He'd been able to hide it over the last few months, but now, with only a week left until Christmas, he couldn't fully hide his disappointment. Tonight… well, it was major. He needed to concentrate on not concentrating, if such a thing was possible, since the first- the only- thought went immediately to Frank.

And thinking of his twenty two year old older brother immediately brought forth so many emotions that it was all Joe could do to keep them at bay.

Still, he couldn't help but to think of the past year. So much had changed…

Growing up, no one had been closer to Joe than Frank. Whether it had been teasing him, protecting him, or, most importantly, just being there, Frank had always been the one constant in his life. Sure, he'd come close to finding others with whom he could share his innermost thoughts, like Iola, who had died several years ago, or Vanessa, whom he was absolutely certain he would ask to marry him one day. But no one, _no one, c_ ould take the place of his big brother.

Joe smiled, remembering their high school years and how much fun they'd had. They'd competed, mostly in a friendly way, over grades (Frank won) and sports (Joe won); but they'd been each other's best friends and greatest support system. That's when they had seriously begun to follow in their father's footsteps, investigating crimes that had taken them from their own town to all over the world. They were a team; but now, Joe remembered, catching his breath, he seemed to be the only one on it.

When Frank had graduated, he had gone onto an Ivy League school on the east coast, making it a bit harder to maintain their closeness. Still, they got together often, Frank never failing to show up at Joe's games for support or to come home as often as possible.

Then, slowly, things began to change when Joe entered school. He was unbelievably busy, trying to balance school a full-time commitment to the baseball and football teams, with Vanessa and academics. Frank got even busier as well. A double major in Criminology and Computer Science, as well as being a teacher's assistant, had really begun to take Frank's time. In addition, Frank had surprised everyone when he continued to pursue his own baseball career. Although he'd always been an excellent pitcher, everyone had assumed that Frank wouldn't be able to handle the stress of an Ivy League education and a sports career—they had been wrong.

But the biggest divisive factor had been Callie, Frank's long-time girlfriend since high school. Having received a full scholarship to UCLA, she had to pursue her own dream of being a journalist. No one thought that Frank and Callie, as close as they had been, would have been able to keep up a relationship in which they were both literally across the country from each other. Once again, they had surprised everyone.

Now, at Christmas, Joe had come to painfully know what it was really like to be separated from his brother. It had literally been six months since he had seen him; after Frank had completed his last semester, he had decided to fly out to California to spend the summer with Callie, work out for baseball, and pursue some cutting edge criminology advances that were being developed at Stanford. Then August had rolled around, and Frank had gone back to school, swamped beyond belief with work and school.

And it was the first time he was coming back—tonight.

"Don't worry—I wasn't really that thirsty anyway."

The sound of Vanessa's voice brought him back to reality once again.

"Van, I'm sorry," Joe replied with a sigh and a small smile. "I don't know what's the matter with me today."

Vanessa, instinctively, having returned from the ladies room, bent down and hugged Joe tightly. "That's alright, Baby," she said gently. Then pulling back with a gleam in her eyes, she added, "You can make it up to me with a suitably expensive Christmas present."

Joe looked into Vanessa's eyes and chuckled softly, knowing she was just kidding. Lacing his fingers through hers, he apologized again, adding, "I guess that's the problem."

"My gift?" Vanessa asked, puzzled. "Joe, you know you don't need to get me a gift. It was a joke."

"No," Joe responded with a sad smile. "A gift for Frank. The perfect present. It's that that…" He paused, searching for words. "I guess I just want, you know, to get him something really special. It seems more important this year than ever before. I need him to know that…" He stopped himself, feeling the color rush to his face.

Vanessa reached over and gently touched his cheek. "That you love him. That you miss him. That's what all this has been about, huh?"

Joe looked down, surprising himself by how choked up he felt; grateful that Vanessa knew him well enough to fill the silence with comfort and not to let it linger. He nodded, momentarily unable to speak as he slowly met her eyes.

"He knows, Joe. Believe me, he knows. I know that you haven't seen him in forever. I mean, well…" She paused, trying to convey a way of getting her point across. Then, she saw it. "Joe," she began again. "You know that Callie and I have been best friends for ages, right? And I haven't seen her in a YEAR, Joe! I know that my relationship with Callie, as much as it means to me, isn't even in the same realm as yours to Frank, but I do kind of understand."

"I know," Joe managed.

"And look. What do they both do? Look at your brother, Joe. He calls you twice a week. He e-mails and texts and tries to keep you included in every aspect of his life, even though he's not physically with you. He's told you that he can't wait until graduation to be back here and to get back in the detective business with you and your dad. Does that sound like someone who doesn't care?"

Joe took a deep breath and managed a smile. He stood, walked around to the side of the table, and hugged Vanessa, kissing the top of her head.

"You're right. I guess I'm just excited," he answered.

"And nervous," Vanessa added, taking Joe's hand and beginning to leave the crowded restaurant. "It'll be okay, honey."

Working their way through the crowded mall in which Mr. Pizza was located, Joe wrapped an arm around Vanessa's waist, pulling her near to him amid the throngs of people.

"Shall we try to find him something special? We can look now," Vanessa offered.

"Sounds great, Van," Joe replied, nodding, as they made their way around.

He knew that Vanessa was right on some level, and Joe was immediately grateful for her always comforting embrace and listening ear. But he also felt that he NEEDED to get Frank the perfect present, the one that said "Merry Christmas, Big Brother. Glad to have you home!"

 _But which also said… I love you. I miss you. And I want more than anything for you not to go away anymore._

It was a gift he couldn't afford to get wrong.


	2. Chapter 2

Present Tense

Chapter 2

Joe glanced at his watch for the hundredth time in the last ten minutes. Feeling eyes boring into him, Joe turned and saw his father glancing at him bemusedly.

"What?" Joe mumbled.

Fenton laughed. "Son, I know it's getting late, but I don't think that you're going to make the time go any faster by constantly checking your watch. In fact, you may give yourself a good case of carpal tunnel syndrome if you keep up that pace," he concluded with a straight face.

Vanessa giggled. She, herself, had been glancing outside for what seemed like hours. In her own way, she was as bad as Joe.

They were all gathered at the Hardy household anxiously awaiting the arrival of Frank and Callie. Fenton and Laura, Vanessa and her mother Andrea, the Shaws, and a houseful of friends sat around, each eager to catch up with Frank and Callie. Old friends Chet Morton, Tony Prito, Biff Hooper, Phil Cohen, Liz Webling, and several others were joking, telling stories, and getting reacquainted, sharing their own college and working anecdotes. Although it was still a week until Christmas, the crowd had gathered by word of mouth, forming an early and spontaneous celebration.

It was 8:00 now, and Frank should have been home at 4:00. Although he could have driven home, Frank had decided that he would wait for Callie's flight to arrive from California so that he could drive her home, himself. Unfortunately, bad weather had delayed her flight and, by the time it had landed, there had been chaos at the airport and the surrounding areas.

Patience had never been Joe's strong suit, and just as he was about to respond to his father's quip, the doorbell interrupted his thoughts, and the room erupted in a flurry of excitement.

Frank and Callie, hand in hand, walked through the door, covered with snow, their free hands holding large bags filled with gifts that threatened to spill out.

"Hey!" Frank greeted, a wide smile on his face as he helped Callie set the bags down.

Before Joe could even get off the couch, he watched as his parents began the assault of activity on Frank and Callie as everyone rushed to give them hugs and kisses and to wish them a welcome home.

Rather than trying to fight the crowd, Joe hung back for a moment, pausing to take in the sight of his brother. He watched as Frank laughed and high –five'd his old friends, and as Vanessa, a good seven inches taller than Callie, practically knocked her over in an enthusiastic and overly ebullient greeting. Taking in a deep breath, Joe had to clear his thoughts. It was so _surreal._

Frank looked good; he looked great, actually. He watched his brother greet the crowd and noticed at once that he seemed really, genuinely happy. Then he glanced quickly at Callie, realizing that he hadn't even seen her, except for pictures that Frank had sent of them, in a year. He couldn't believe how _alive_ she looked. Her golden blonde hair had grown long, halfway down her back; she was tan from the California sun. With her perfect makeup and bright smile, she looked downright beautiful.

They both looked…. Grown up and happy.

Before he could process the scene in front of him, he heard shrieks coming from Vanessa and Liz. "Oh my God! Oh my God!" they squealed with delight.

The room was a living, breathing entity, a whirlwind of excitement as Mrs. Shaw raised a hand over her mouth and Laura Hardy squeezed through the crowd to hug Frank and Callie.

It only took a moment for Joe to see it—in the light of the glittering Christmas tree, amid all the noise, Callie went to hug her parents, her hand slipping out from beneath her black leather jacket.

… And revealing a sparkling diamond ring.

Immediately, Joe felt sick to his stomach. It wasn't that he didn't like Callie; in fact, he'd grown to care for her very much over the years. But this had nothing to do with Callie.

Frank hadn't told him.

Frank was getting _married._

And he thought of the gift that he had picked out for his brother, the gift that he had needed to keep his brother with him.

But it didn't matter anymore.

Turning slowly, he surreptitiously grabbed the carefully wrapped gift that had been sitting by the tree and bowed out of the room, never once stopping to even greet his brother.

Then, he opened the back door to his house, not even bothering with a jacket, and headed out into the cold night. It did not bother him, as he felt his heart was freezing as well. Something prodded him, taunted him, to get as quickly away from there as possible. He couldn't deal with everything; not now.

With the falling snow beginning to accumulate, and ice patches everywhere, Joe should have known to be more careful. He headed towards the swing set at the far back of the Hardy property where he and Frank used to hang out a lot as kids. They also used to play a lot in the back parts of their large yard which were hilly and ideal for playing hide and seek and cops and robbers.

He almost made it to the swings—almost. As he rapidly paced, he felt his foot catch on something in the back yard. Losing his footing, he stumbled back, tripped on tree branch and slipped backwards down the slope. The gift he had tried so hard to find, his perfect present, flew from his hands into the outstretched arms of the nearby tree. The last thing he remembered was the brief flash of pain as his head banged on a rock.

Then, there was only blackness, and he lay alone….

…hidden, under the cover of darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hi all. I see that this story has gotten some reviews, but I think something is going on with this site and I cannot see any of them. Hopefully, they will appear soon. To the reviewer who was kind enough to leave me a PM, THANK YOU- but this site edited out your content info on the email so I cannot even respond to you! In any case, I hope you are all enoying this little story. It's only five chapters (so not quite a story by any means), but it's a holiday theme, so I thought I would post it here. Thanks for the reviews (looking forward to reading them eventually!). Happy holidays!_

Present Tense

Chapter 3

Frank looked through the crowd of friends and family and tried to get his bearings. It was wonderful to be home again but, if truth be told, he would have preferred a nice, quiet evening alone with his family and Callie rather than seeing everyone at once. He was tired; it had been a long drive from school to the airport back here. He was in another world; tonight, with Callie, everything had been magical and extraordinary. He'd missed her terribly, not having seen her in almost three months; and he owed her this night. Glancing out the corner of his eye, he saw Callie looking at him and giving him a wink. As always, she knew what he needed.

Mouthing "be back soon," to her across the room as she nodded, he was only half listening to one of Tony's hilarious, practically famous "idiot customer" stories from the restaurant, when he saw his father. Politely excusing himself for a moment, he waved his father into a side room in the house.

Alone with his father, Frank immediately let out a breath and shook his head to clear it.

Fenton laughed before speaking. "Well, Son, I agree. It's a bit of an overwhelming homecoming, huh?!"

"You're not kidding," Frank responded in agreement. "I had forgotten how popular I am," he added with a chuckle.

Fenton beamed and hugged his eldest son quickly, ending with a solid pat on the back. "Well, you surprised us all! Engaged, huh?! When did you decide that?"

Frank met his father's eyes and gave a small smile. "You know, Dad, I would love to tell you the whole story… poor Callie's probably going to be asked to go through every detail tonight a million times… but we both promised we wouldn't give the details to anyone until we could tell Joe what happened," he replied. "I hope you understand."

Fenton's expression softened, realizing yet again just how strong the bond between his sons was. "Of course," he replied gently. "But is it GREAT to have you home again."

Frank smiled, adding, "It's great to be home. BUT-"

"Yes?" Fenton cut in. "No wait. Let me guess. You'd like to see that little brother of yours now, I assume. I'm surprised he didn't tackle you the moment you came through the door! He's missed you a lot, you know," he finished.

"I've missed him," Frank said in agreement. "You know that. There's A LOT I have to tell him… you know most of it, anyway. I was going to wait until Christmas Day, but why bother now? I think everything this holiday is going to be pretty different than what we expected."

Fenton looked puzzled. "You know, Frank," he began, "Everything that we discussed—that you were going to tell Joe… I mean, hasn't that all changed with your engagement?"

"Not at all." Frank's eyes glimmered as he spoke.

"But how…" Fenton began, before Frank held up a hand.

"As I said, all will be revealed soon," he replied cryptically. Every once in a while, he enjoyed teasing his dad. It was rarity to see him perplexed. Joe would've loved it!

"I have no idea what you're planning, you know," Fenton said, happy that Frank looked so good, so… completed.

"You're a detective—figure it out," Frank teased. Then he grew serious. "But now I am going to look for my little brother, okay? Hope he likes my Christmas present!"

With those words and another quick hug for his father, Frank set out to find Joe, more excited than ever to give Joe the best surprise that he could.

Xxxxxxxxx

He was somewhere between consciousness and a void. Trying desperately to open his eyes, feeling the cold wrap around him, causing him to shiver like a leaf in the wind, he knew he should get up.

But he couldn't.

Was it really because he couldn't, or because he didn't want to? Would the darkness surrounding him now be even more painful than what he would awake to?

His head throbbed. He was so, so cold.

Then, he remembered and the world was, once again, black.

Past Tense **Five years old….**

" _He did WHAT?" six- year- old Frank Hardy asked his little brother._

" _He stole my lunch! He didn't even ask if I was gonna share it. I woulda, you know." Joe felt his eyes brim with tears as he remembered the way he had been treated that first week in Kindergarten._

" _So he just TOOK it? I mean, right outta your hands?" Frank looked at Joe with eyes flashing. No one messed with his kid brother._

" _Yeah," Joe responded, lips quivering. This was gonna be the worst year ever! He had been excited at first to go to school, to see what a fun place it was, why Frank always seemed to come home and talk about it so much. He wanted to be a part of that, to be with his big brother. But now it was all ruined._

" _Don't worry. I'll take care of it." Frank said it so quietly, with no trace of doubt. Joe would've been reassured; instead, he panicked._

" _No! No, Frank. I mean, you can't." He begged his brother, tried to make him understand._

" _Why on earth not?" Frank asked again._

" _Because… because…" Joe stuttered in reply._

" _Yes?" Frank asked._

 _How could he be so calm? Didn't he understand how serious this was?!_

" _Because he'll kill you!" Joe finally wailed, tears streaming down his face._

" _He's huge and he's mean and he's stupid and I hate him and he'll beat you up. Then you're gonna die!"_

 _Frank smiled. He SMILED. "Don't worry, Joey. I think I'll be okay. We're just talking about a peanut butter and jelly sandwich here, you know."_

 _Frank. Always a character. Wise beyond his years._

" _But…" Joe began, and was cut off by Frank._

" _What's his name again?" Frank asked calmly._

 _Joe looked at Frank, eyes wide in terror._

" _Really Joey. Seriously. I'll take care of it. Tell me his name."_

 _Frank's eyes were so full of reassurance and comfort that Joe felt the words slip out before he could control himself._

" _Allan Hooper."_

 _Frank just nodded._

 _That had been on a Friday. That weekend, Frank had gone out to play with several of his friends away from Joe, who felt sad without him there. He didn't understand why Frank would leave him after all that he'd shared._

 _But on Monday, Allan Hooper had come up to him, apologized, and said that Joe was kind of cool, now that he thought about it, even though his older brother was kind of weird. In a nice way… of course._

 _It wasn't until senior year of high school that Allan "Biff" Hooper had told him the story of Frank's little visit to him so many years ago, and how Frank had found out from Biff's older sister that Biff's father had been laid off, and that Biff literally had had no money for food; that's why he had taken Joe's sandwich._

 _That weekend, Frank had asked their dad to drive him to the Hoopers. He had brought Biff two jars of peanut butter and jelly along with some bread. He said that his younger brother Joe might need someone to be friends with, and so maybe Biff could share with him at lunchtime…._

 **Eight years old…..**

 _The hospital. Frank. He was so sick._

 _Joe felt himself shaking, staring at his older brother. His stomach started to turn and he felt himself gag._

 _Frank woke up. Weakly, he looked at Joey._

" _You're not gonna die, Frank, are you?" he whispered._

 _Frank reached out for Joey. His hand was cold and clammy._

" _I'm not going anywhere," he responded, his dark eyes never leaving Joe's light ones._

" _Promise?" Joe asked, still holding onto Frank's hand._

" _I promise," Frank nodded._

 _And he'd meant it._

 **Twelve years old….**

 _He felt his heart pounding in his chest, the pressure all around him. It was the bottom of the seventh inning, the last inning in the Little League. The game was tied 0-0._

 _This was it._

 _Fate had somehow conspired to have the twelve and thirteen year olds play in the same league, and worse… to have him and his brother on different teams._

 _Frank, the star pitcher of the whole league, was now against up against his little brother, the premier hitter, even better than the thirteen year olds._

… _But not better than Frank, and they both knew it._

 _Joe swallowed, watching Frank in the wind up._

 _SWOOOOOSH. Frank unleashed a fastball that flew right past Joe as he tried to swing the bat fast enough. He couldn't._

 _He didn't hear the crowd. He heard only his own heart beating as he met his brother's eyes. Frank did not acknowledge it, focusing instead on the catcher._

 _Frank entered a wind-up and surprised him with a curve ball. He hadn't expected THAT._

 _He heard the umpire call "strike two" as he stared dumbly into the catcher's mitt behind him._

 _He couldn't think… not about the humiliation he'd feel if he didn't hit the ball and try to get on base, not about the teasing he'd endure that Frank was so much better than him, not about anything. He felt the color rise to his face as he got into his stance._

 _Then Frank unleashed the ball and Joe knew that he could get it._

 _ **CRASH….**_

 _The sound of the ball ricocheting off the bat was deafening. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the crowd of people in the stands get up to cheer._

 _It was a homerun._

 _He could barely move when slowly he placed the bat down and began to jog around the bases. He didn't see Frank, as the other team hung their heads in defeat._

 _Later, at home, he had expected Frank to be dejected, so he resisted the urge to smirk. Instead, he managed, "good game," to which Frank smiled and replied, "You, too."_

" _So what happened on that last pitch?" he had to ask. "I thought you'd just end it with a fastball."_

 _Frank shrugged, getting up to leave. "I guess my curve didn't break," he said, simply, and walked out of the room._

 _Joe stood after him, stunned. In his answer, Frank had just indicated that he'd thrown his brother a change-up, which he'd known Joe could hit._

 _That was Frank. Cutting him a break and throwing him a curveball._

 **Fourteen years old…**

" _Frank's in LOVE…. Frank's in LOVE…_ " Joe mercilessly teased his brother, whom, it seemed, had fallen pretty hard for a cute little blonde girl in school.

His brother, always quiet, just blushed.

"Shut up, Joe," he muttered, finishing combing back his dark hair.

"You look so PERTY…." Joe drawled in an awful southern accent. "I surely hope you and your little missus have a golly gosh good time tonight."

Frank shook his head and went back to combing his hair.

Joe was annoyed. In truth, he was jealous, REALLY jealous. Frank had been spending all kinds of time with this Callie person and he didn't like it—not one bit. Even though he no longer saw girls as gross or anything, he still craved time with his brother who always played with him, helped him out, and hung out with him.

But he couldn't TELL Frank that. This was Callie's fault. He decided he hated her.

All of a sudden, Frank met Joe's eyes as he looked into the mirror. Joe tried to ignore the picture he had painted of himself as he saw his expression mirrored back, scowling and angry.

Not even turning around, Frank looked into Joe's eyes through the reflection.

"Well," he'd said slowly. "The 'little missus' can't go out until 7:00, so I have a few hours if you want to play PlayStation or something."

Joe was shocked. "Really?" he questioned, trying to hide his inner joy.

"Sure," Frank responded. "That new Lara Croft one Dad bought for us looks good. You get to chase after and destroy a hot girl and hang out with your buddy who's on your side the whole time."

He winked.

 **Seventeen years old…..** _Nooooo!_

 _Joe sat up in bed, tears streaming down his face. Again and again, for weeks now, that horrifying image stood out in his head, replaying itself, getting more and more cruel with each passing moment._

 _He took a shaky breath, wiping his face and attempting to stop the tears from coming, but they wouldn't stop._

 _Iola. The ball of flame into which his car had erupted. It was his fault. She was gone._

 _Iola was DEAD and it was all his fault._

 _He felt like throwing up. Instead, he gagged._

 _As always, he hadn't needed to say a word._

 _The door between his and Frank's adjoining rooms was open, creating a soft, a comforting, ray of light._

 _And as always, when laid back down and turned over, pulling the covers tightly about him, it was Frank who was right there, Frank who would still tuck him in… at seventeen._

 _And the next day when he had to go to school and pretend that everything was normal again, pretend that he could be his same old, joking self, that same person who hadn't yet really known what cruelty life could hold in store, it was Frank who never said a word, Frank who continued to pretend right along with him._

 _Because Joe had needed that._

 _And because without Frank, life… the REAL game of it… would have been over._

 **Eighteen years old…**

" _So don't forget, okay? Seriously. It's only six hours away. It's not like I'm leaving you forever. And I'll call and text and…"_

" _Frank," he'd cut his brother off. "Just get out of here, okay? Finally, I can have this place all to myself." Though he joked, he knew that his eyes betrayed him. They always did._

 _Frank laughed. "Yup—just you, Mom, Dad, Aunt Gertrude… sounds like a party every night."_

" _You're just jealous," Joe quipped with a smile. He was about to watch his brother drive away._

" _I didn't think you'd find me out," Frank replied, dryly. "Behave while I'm gone, okay? And if you need me…"_

" _I know," was all he could respond._

 _And he did._

 **Twenty-one years old….**

 _Sure, Frank had called him. A lot, in fact. He e-mailed him and texted him and was always checking up on him._

 _But he was so far away._

 _He could understand why Frank had spent the summer with Callie, and he'd learned to be happy because he genuinely liked Callie. More importantly, his brother was crazy about her._

 _But in the years Frank had been away, Joe could literally count on one hand the number of cases they'd been on, and none of them involved any real ACTION, the adrenaline that he lived for._

 _And he was lonely._

 _Despite all the years of Frank's promising always to be there, despite their physical differences and long distance separations, despite the fact that they were both truly in love with very special women, there had always been an unbreakable bond between them. It had been forged in the past and held hopes for the future._

 _But now, Frank had other real priorities. How could he not have told him that he was getting married? This was it._

 _His heart ached from the separation that he knew was inevitable, filled him with a chill…._

 _ **Present Tense Again….**_

The chill in his heart felt its way into his bones.

His head throbbed.

Struggling to open his eyes, he heard a voice in the distance, thought about his gift for Frank.

The gift! Where WAS it?

"Joe! Joe!"

He heard his name, but it sounded so, so far away.

Someone was shaking him. Okay, THAT felt close by.

"Joe!" He heard the voice call again. "Come on! Come on!"

Forcing himself to open his eyes, he gazed, half-aware, into his brother's frantic ones. Frank looked terrified.

"Joe! Are you okay?" he asked again, gently helping Joe to sit up. The snow was coming down all around them.

Weakly, Joe nodded, trying to get his bearings.

"Are you okay?! Can you talk? Can you walk? I'll get an ambulance."

Joe shook his head in low protest.

"W…w….w….elcome H…h…h…ome," he managed, stammering from the cold.

"Let me get you inside," Frank said in reply. "I won't even ask you why you're here or not wearing a coat or why you have a big bump on the side of your head. Just… just as long as you're okay…okay?"

Joe felt Frank reach down for him, literally almost picking him up as they slowly walked back to the house. He was colder than he could remember being, feeling himself shivering terribly.

He fought off the dizziness and nausea, as well as the incredible embarrassment he was feeling, and limped alongside his brother.

To have Frank here again, in this moment, literally supporting him, almost made it worth it.

With a wry smile that inadvertently barely managed to make it to his face, he thought again…

 _Almost._


	4. Chapter 4

Present Tense

Chapter 4

Days passed by Christmas drew closer and closer. Joe sat up in bed at his parents' house and stretched. Finally, he was beginning to feel better.

For the past four days, he'd been pretty out of it. Frank, always considerate, had helped him into the house, up to his bedroom, and managed not to make a scene in front of their friends. Of course, it didn't hurt that James Cooper, one of Frank's friends from high school, had also happened to be at the party and was a pre-med student. Although certainly not in the same league as a doctor, James had quietly come upstairs and had checked Joe out, deciding that he had received a mild concussion and a sprained ankle. His greatest concern was the hypothermia that had started to set in.

As a result, Joe had laid down and had immediately gone to sleep. His father had decided, after listening to James and knowing all the signs of both hypothermia and concussions from all of the scrapes that he and his sons had managed to get into over the years, that James was right. Although he would have preferred for Joe to go to a hospital, he chose his battle. As a result, he, Laura, Frank, Callie and Vanessa had kept vigil over Joe's bedside for the past four days and had gradually nursed him back to health.

Or so he had been told.

Joe had to admit to himself that he barely remembered anything. He had virtually passed out the moment that Frank had helped him to his room, and the only people he had spoken to on a consistent basis through the days were his parents and Vanessa. He didn't remember Callie being in his room at all, nor had he spoken with his brother. However, on several occasions he had felt Frank's presence in the room, a comforting light for him, but one that he was not ready to confront, lest he permanently burn it out. Several times, in fact, he had feigned sleep when Frank was there.

Joe DID have to admit that he felt guilty. He desperately wanted to talk to his brother—it had been six months since he'd seen him, and it seemed like forever. He wanted to congratulate him and Callie as well, but he couldn't quite do it. Not yet.

And now, with Christmas Eve tomorrow night, he knew that his time was running out to get it together. He had lost the gift that he had worked so hard to get for his brother and, along with it and Frank's engagement, he felt the hope of ever getting back his precious relationship with his brother dwindling quickly. As hard as he was trying to be mature, to deal with the irrevocable changes that his future held in store, he still didn't know if he could hold it together in Frank's presence yet.

He wanted to speak to Frank so badly, to see him, especially now, at Christmas, which had always been a sacred time for them, filled with laughter and excitement and fun.

Soon—it would have to be soon.

With a sigh, Joe plopped down on the mattress again and closed his eyes, gathering strength. He was haunted in his dreams by memories of the past, of Frank's being there by his side and promising never to leave him. This time though, as he fell into sleep, the dreams were different.

 **Future Tense**

 _He felt empty. It was Christmastime as he turned to Vanessa, his wife._

" _Where have the past ten years gone?" he lamented to her, ignoring the sounds of their children's laughter in the background._

 _Vanessa chuckled. "You still look pretty hot for a thirty-something," she teased him. "Not too many wrinkles. And the gray is barely visible." Her eyes sparkled._

 _Joe snorted despite himself. "It's not gray, Van. I've told you—it's just a lighter shade of blonde."_

" _Oh. I had forgotten. Same with me."_

 _Joe smiled, reaching for her hand._

" _Don't be sad, hon. I'm sure Frank will call you—he always does," she tried to assure him._

" _I know," he replied, sadly. "It's just I only get to see him once a year. It's hard now that he moved to California with Callie after they got married."_

" _Plus, with their ten kids, it's got to be hard," Van added._

" _Yeah. I thought we had it bad with three," he agreed._

" _Life is weird like that," Vanessa countered. "I mean, look at it. You always thought that you'd be investigators together. But now you're a major league baseball superstar, and Frank—who would have thought it? A stay at home DAD?!"_

 _Weakly, Joe tried to defend his brother. "He was a great sailor until Callie won that Academy Award. Then, he had to quit. I guess that financially they're all set, though."_

" _They have to be with all the kids."_

" _Yeah," he agreed._

 **Present Tense Again**

"Wake up Joe!"

With a start. Joe sat up quickly in bed, watching Vanessa peer down at him in concern.

"W… what?' he stammered.

Vanessa crossed her arms and eyed him suspiciously when she saw that he was okay.

"Joe, you've got to stop it. Why are you having these nightmares? What were you dreaming about THIS time?" she queried.

Joe went to speak, but then shut his mouth as the dream came back to him.

"Come on, Joe. Another one of your memory dreams?" she asked.

Slowly, Joe reached out for her, patting the space on the bed beside him, motioning for her to sit down. Somehow, over the past week, his love for her had grown deeper than he could have imagined. She had always proven herself to be trustworthy, but, until recently, he had been afraid to totally open up to her, to share with her his deepest thoughts and feelings. Finally, though, he had relented, needing someone to talk to, really to speak with, in lieu of his brother. She had listened patiently and sympathetically to him, knowing how badly he felt without Frank around. She never laughed at him.

She also told him the truth and cut through his crap unlike anyone he'd ever met, other than Frank.

Kissing the top of her head, he smiled. "No," he began. "This time it was about the future."

"Oh?" Vanessa encouraged, cuddling next to him.

As Joe began his story, Vanessa cut him off. "We were married?" she asked, teasingly.

"Yeah. You finally wore me down and I condescended to spend the rest of my life with you," he said seriously, receiving a smack from Vanessa.

"I suppose you didn't get to the end of your dream where I left you for a much more understanding man, huh?" she asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

"You just have marriage on the mind," Joe answered.

"It was YOUR dream," Vanessa answered somewhat defensively, straightening up slightly.

Joe felt bad at once. "I was kidding, Van," he said. "I just figured that Callie must be filling you in on engagement details, and, um…" he stammered, unsure of how to proceed.

"Joe Hardy," Vanessa said directly, meeting his eyes as she stood up. "For one thing, neither Frank nor Callie have told anyone about what happened when they got engaged. Both of them wanted to tell YOU first. Second, I most certainly do NOT have marriage on my mind. Callie is my best friend, other than you, and yes, I'm excited for her. But you know what? I'll wait until a guy is crazy enough about ME that it's all HE can think about, and not vice versa." She swallowed, unexpectedly emotional.

Taken aback, Joe looked at the woman he loved and realized what a jerk he'd just sounded like. The whole thing with his brother's absence had really thrown him and he was taking out his loneliness and fear on the wrong people.

Weakly standing up, he walked over to Vanessa and hugged her tightly. It took a moment, but he felt her relax in his arms. Maybe his brother had the right idea….

"I'm sorry, Van," he managed. "Besides, I couldn't ask you to marry me now. I couldn't stand the rejection."

Vanessa laughed and pulled away slowly.

"So tell me the rest of your dream," she said with a smile. As Joe proceeded, she started cracking up and, by the end, even Joe had to smile.

Finally, at the end, she grew serious again. "Hon?" she began. "Why aren't you talking to your brother? He's missed you a lot. He's here, all the time, and I know that he has no idea about all the fears that you're feeling. Tell him, Joe. Before Christmas, tell him. It's time."

"I know," Joe agreed, sighing. "But I lost his gift…"

"The best thing you can give him, Joe, is you. Cut him a break. He's been away a long time. He's missed you. And to be fair, I don't think that he feel he can be totally excited about his engagement to Callie, and share his happiness with everyone, until he knows that you're okay with it."

"Really?" Joe asked quietly. He hated the thought of thwarting Frank's excitement in any way.

"Yes," Vanessa answered. "They're the happiest, yet most reserved, engaged couple you'd ever see. Go look. Sneak over to the top of the stairs and look into your living room. They're both always there, waiting for you to be okay and to talk to them. Go," she nudged.

Hesitantly, Joe limped over to the banister, peering down into the room below. Vanessa was right. Frank and Callie were snuggled together on a couch, watching an old Christmas film on television. Their hands were intertwined, as Joe could just make out from the glint of the light from the screen reflecting off Callie's ring.

They looked like old, kindred spirits…

…Like they always had been.

At once, Joe felt a lot of the resentment and anger at his brother's failure to inform him about his plans to marry Callie dissipate. He felt the sadness at the inevitable loss of his brother, but it was balanced with a sincere happiness for him: for Callie.

His decision made, he turned slowly around and headed back to his room. Vanessa was right; he needed to talk to Frank.

Christmas Eve was tomorrow; there was no better time.

Smiling for the first time in a while, he pushed his nervousness aside and allowed himself to look forward to seeing his brother again.

Maybe this Christmas could be special after all.


	5. Chapter 5

_And here is the conclusion to a VERY short story. Thank you to everyone who took the time to leave a review. I wanted to post this older story as a feel good, holiday story with, for once, no real mystery! There is a reason why Frank didn't tell Joe, as you will see here. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, and overall happy holiday season. Enjoy!_

Present Tense

Chapter 5

"Merry Christmas Eve in the morning!" Callie exclaimed with a smile as she wrapped her arms around Frank's neck and kissed him.

"Same to you," Frank replied, hugging her and returning the kiss as he led her into the Shaws' house. Before he could take a seat in the living room, Callie took his hand and led him in the direction of the kitchen.

"Food on the mind, eh, Cal?" he teased. "Better watch that girlish physique. You have a wedding to get ready for, remember?" he asked playfully.

Callie laughed. "Watch it, Buster," she answered. "We're heading to the kitchen where there are lots of sharp objects around, and it may not be the best time to tease a girl about weight. Just saying…" she left off mysteriously.

Frank rolled his eyes, happy to just be here, even for a brief moment, with Callie. Things were so _serious_ at home, though he hated leaving Joe, for even a moment. Something was going on with him, and it was his responsibility to find out what. Still, though, it was good to laugh, to feel happy, to just celebrate the ending of one chapter in his life and the start of another. Things with Callie were so easy, as they used to be with Joe. With a pang, Frank began to wonder if they'd ever be that way again.

And he honestly had no idea why Joe was acting so… strangely.

"Frank? You okay?' Callie asked, concerned, gently reaching up to stroke his cheek.

Frank just looked at her and gently pulled her to him, kissing the top of her head. "Yeah, I'm fine," he answered. Then, he looked into her eyes and felt a smile tug at his lips.

"So, where would you like to go, Babe? Have you decided?"

"I have, as a matter of fact," she answered, reaching behind Frank to sift through a nearby drawer.

Watching her, Frank felt a wave of gratitude come over him. He wanted to share with everyone how much he loved Callie, how happy she made him now and always had. But he couldn't—it didn't seem right to go share details with everyone, _anyone,_ in fact, of the engagement, until Joe knew. But this morning he was determined to break away from his parents' house, as hard as it would be, to keep up the tradition that he had established with Callie many years ago. Every Christmas Eve morning, they'd go out for a big breakfast and spend the morning alone, together. After that, they'd spend time with their respective families and then go from house to house on Christmas day. But this morning, as always, was a special time for the both of them, time that they sorely needed this week, and if he could make it special for Callie, then he was bound and determined to do it.

"Here ya go," Callie quipped, turning around and handing Frank two aprons, several pots and kitchen utensils.

"Whoa," Frank laughed, almost dropping several pots on the floor. "What's this?" he asked.

"THIS," Callie replied, "is the latest in kitchen gadgetry." She smiled.

"But I…." Frank began.

Callie interrupted. "Which, my dear, you will help me bring over to your house where I can make a lovely breakfast for the two of us, and probably Vanessa, and hopefully Joe. We should have enough for everyone, since your parents and Aunt Gertrude are finishing their shopping today," she finished.

Frank was silenced, and could only stare at her.

"Come on, sweetie," she said, gently touching his arm. "I know that you want to be with your brother and that you're dying to talk to him. I hope he's better today. The least I can do is make you breakfast while you're all antsy to talk to him."

He was touched, immeasurably so. "But… our tradition…" he started.

"Frank," she replied softly. "Honey, we have a lifetime of traditions ahead of us. Life isn't about holding onto the past, it's about living in the present. YOU are my gift… not…." she joked, "pancakes."

Frank felt his heart swell with emotions. She knew him so well; he was truly blessed. "I love you," he managed. "So much."

Callie blew him a kiss. "Merry Christmas, honey," she answered.

Turning, she motioned for him to follow her from the house. "Just don't drop the aprons!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The delicious smell of freshly baking bread wafting up the stairs roused Joe from his sleep.

Gingerly getting out of bed, he felt his stomach growl and inadvertently smiled. It was GREAT to be hungry again and, after last night, he felt as though he was mentally prepared to speak with his brother. He wasn't prepared for losing his brother; that thought, along with the thought of what might have been their future together, working with their dad, was still too painful to grasp. But, he had to face it. And Christmas was perhaps the best time of all to celebrate what he DID have, and not what he did not.

He was tired of sitting in his room, although he had to admit with a smile that he had managed to coerce Vanessa into helping nurse him back to health. He felt happy at the thought.

"Van?" he called as he headed down the stairs.

"Joe?" Frank replied as he watched his brother come to the bottom of the stairs.

Callie watched at a short distance as Frank's face lit up and how, in so doing, Joe's burst into a smile as well.

"It's about time!" Frank laughed enthusiastically. "Do I get a hug or something?"

"You bet," Joe answered, squeezing his brother in a big bear hug.

As they broke apart, Frank patted his brother on the back. "Way to keep me waiting! I was starting to think that you were ignoring me."

Joe winced as the veracity of Frank's words hit him. Still, he managed to joke, "I barely recognize you, bro! You look good. I mean, not as good as me," he finished.

Frank rolled his eyes. "Naturally. I'm glad to see that nothing's changed since I left you. You're still almost getting killed, worrying me to death, and remaining as humble as ever."

Callie quietly made her way to the brothers and felt warm inside as she felt Frank wrap an arm around her waist. Still, she knew what she needed to do.

"Hey Joe! Good to see you," she said with a smile. "Why don't you and Frank help yourself to some breakfast? I'll call Vanessa and find out when she'll be here."

"Okay," Joe answered, before snapping to his senses as Callie gently prodded herself away from his brother. "Wait a second! I hear congratulations are in order." He reached over and hugged Callie tightly.

Then, he teased her, as he always had, "You are so lucky. Now you've gotten what you've always wanted- a handsome, smart, funny, and incredibly suave… brother-in law!" Smiling at Callie's shocked reaction, he started to feel a little better.

Finally, Callie laughed. "Too bad," she quipped. "I was hoping that bump on the head would've changed your personality. But no such luck. I guess your swelled head must've served as a cushion."

Winking at Frank, she squeezed Joe's hand before heading out. "I'm glad you're okay," she said genuinely. "Merry Christmas, Joe."

"You, too," he answered, watching her leave.

"You done good," Joe said slowly to his brother.

Frank rolled his eyes. "Eloquently stated, as always," Frank answered. Still, he was so happy to be with his brother again he could barely think straight.

After a moment of awkward silence, Joe motioned towards the kitchen. "Well, Callie could always cook."

"Subtle, Joe," Frank answered with a laugh. "Go ahead—she made plenty."

Over breakfast, Joe made small talk with his brother, ignoring the dull ache in his heart. Mostly, he listened to Frank's stories about baseball and school, and they traded stories on professors and their parents. Though it wasn't substantive, it was getting easier. This was FRANK, after all; and no matter what he said or didn't say, Joe realized that just being with his brother, even for a while, was the best feeling he'd had in a long, long time. Well, other than Vanessa's ongoing care. He chuckled at the thought.

"What?" Frank asked.

"Oh, nothing," Joe replied with a smile.

"Come on," Frank prodded. "Since when have you held back from telling me things?"

Ignoring the question, Joe said, eyes wide, "I couldn't. I don't kiss and tell."

Frank snorted. "Never mind, then," he replied, feigning disgust. "You're right. I don't need to know."

"You know," Joe couldn't resist saying, "I had the craziest dream about you the other night, speaking of that."

"Oh, yeah?" Frank questioned suspiciously.

"Yup," Joe answered, and launched into his elaborate tale.

When he concluded, Frank looked horrified. "TEN kids?! I was a sailor?! Callie won an Oscar?" he asked.

"Ten, bro. Maybe Callie can teach you how to cook after all. It'll come in pretty handy with that brood of yours," Joe answered, laughing.

After a few more minutes of talking, Joe felt himself growing quiet, trying to take in all these moments, hating the thought of the inevitable, of Frank's finally leaving him. The thought made him somber and he barely realized that the silence had grown between them.

"Joe," Frank finally spoke up. "The other night… when I came home… you scared me there. I mean, if I hadn't gone looking for you, you could've died. If you'd been out there any longer than 15 or 20 minutes, I don't even want to think about that could have happened. I get worried leaving you alone, you know?"

"I'm okay," Joe mumbled, feeling the color rush to his cheeks.

"Yeah, I know," Frank replied, but he insisted, "I DO worry about you, though."

Joe looked up, trying to decide how to proceed. With a sigh, he realized that this was probably it; the moment he'd been dreading. He decided to tread gently until, finally, he spoke. "Frank, look. I mean, I'm not a kid anymore, right? I'm fine. I'll be okay on my own. I have friends and Mom and Dad and Vanessa, so, you know… just chill, okay? I understand that you feel guilty moving on, but it's okay, I decided."

THERE. He'd done it, and was proud of himself. He hadn't really gotten into things with his brother, but this was a good start. He sat back and waited for his brother to reach out to him and to tell him that it was okay and that he appreciated Joe's maturity.

Instead, Frank's expression changed from one of total bewilderment to the dawn of understanding and then, to Joe's utter astonishment, amusement. Frank sat back, crossed his arms, and stared at his little brother.

"What?" Joe asked, finally.

"THAT's what this has been about? Are you kidding?" Frank asked directly.

Joe felt his stomach do flip –flops. _YES, that's what this is about,_ he wanted to scream _. Don't make fun of me…_ All he could do, though, was stare.

"Joe, I'm sorry," Frank said, cutting through the silence. "Really, truly, I am. I had no idea what you had been getting at. I… I guess I owe you an explanation, and I'd like to talk to you if you're willing to listen."

Joe nodded, almost unable to speak. He was afraid to think.

Frank reached over the orange juice to pat Joe's hand, never once breaking eye contact with his younger brother.

"First, I want to tell you about Callie. I guess you were pretty surprised when we came home and we were engaged. I assume you thought I would have told you first, right?"

Joe bit his lip and nodded, somehow feeling strangely YOUNG in the presence of Frank. He couldn't believe that he had spent all of this time agonizing on what to say to his brother, how to avoid this topic or gently make his way into it, only for Frank to cut to the core of everything in one sentence.

"I guess," he shrugged.

Frank smiled. He'd always been able to read Joe like a book. "The truth is, little brother, that I didn't even know I was going to propose. THAT's why I didn't tell you," he answered, simply.

"What do you mean?" Joe asked, puzzled. He watched as Frank's expression changed and his voice softened in explanation. It was an unusual sight for Joe to see his brother, or to hear his brother, talk about Callie, and he was touched.

"You know, Joe," Frank said softly, sitting back, "I've been going out with Callie forever. I guess I always knew that I'd marry her. I hadn't seen her in three months, although we obviously talked all the time. I don't know. I guess I started really missing her and thinking about how much she meant to me. One day I was with a few friends and we decided to spend the day in the city. I was just walking around and, on the way to the NBA restaurant, there was this jewelry store and for some reason this ring was there and I just sort of knew in that moment—I had to get it."

"Oh," Joe managed, still surprised that Frank was sharing so much.

Frank sat up and tried to make Joe understand. "Don't you see, Joe? I was going to save it for when Callie graduated. I was planning on telling you right away as soon as I got home. It's a little personal to get into over the phone. Anyway," he went on, "I just went to the airport and I saw her and she looked so beautiful and I just realized how much I needed her in my life."

Frank blushed. WHERE was this coming from? Still, he knew he had to finish. "So," he concluded, "I don't know. On the way into the car at the airport, it was so perfect. There were Christmas lights all around and it was lightly snowing and I just… I just…. I just KNEW." He finally finished, face red. "So I didn't tell you, Joe, because I didn't know myself. But it was perfect and I don't regret it. It's one of the few impulsive things I've ever done… and I think it'll be one of the few amazing things I'll always remember."

Joe swallowed hard. Here he'd been, thinking that Frank had been hiding this secret for so long because he no longer trusted him, when, all along, he had planned on telling him.

"You ARE okay with this, right?" Frank asked, concern etched deep in his eyes.

Joe smiled slowly and squeezed his brother's arm. "Yeah. I am. I think I know what you mean. I have my girl, too. I'm not ready to propose yet. But—someday I will. I get it, Frank. Thanks for telling me."

Frank looked relieved. "Why don't you tell me why you're still upset, then? Because I can tell you are, you know. I have no idea why."

Joe shook his head as peace finally started to come to him. "Nah. It doesn't matter anymore. Just, you know, promise to keep in touch more often. I missed you. I guess I never expected you to go away and get married so soon. California's a long way away, okay?"

Frank looked at him strangely, and then smiled slowly. "Come on," he indicated. "I need to give you your Christmas present." He stood up to leave, heading into the living room in which the tree was located.

Joe felt the color rush to his face again and he placed a sturdy hand on his brother's shoulder, turning him around as Frank reached for a small box under the tree. "No, Frank. I mean, I can't accept a gift from you," he stammered.

"Why on earth not?" Frank asked, sitting down on the couch.

"I lost yours," Joe lamented. "I tried damned hard to get you the perfect gift, though, seriously. But when I was outside, it got lost. I have no idea where it is."

"Joe," Frank said seriously, "Come on. You didn't need to get me anything. I have plenty of socks, thanks," he finished, teasing.

"Seriously, Frank," was all Joe could manage.

"It's okay," Frank said at last. "Can you at least tell me what it was? It's the thought that counts anyway."

Joe shrugged and then sighed. "I guess," he answered at last. "I got you a gift certificate for a year's worth of laser tag at _Lights and Action_ ," he said at last.

"Wh..." Frank moved his lips, and then finally blurted out, "Um… why?"

Joe stood frozen. He'd spent all this time thinking of the perfect gift and Frank didn't even GET IT?

"I mean, I know we used to play Laser Tag all the time when we were growing up..." Frank mused. Then, it hit him. He looked at his brother and impulsively reached over to hug him. "Thanks, Joey."

Joe smiled. Frank hadn't called him Joey in years.

"I agree. It would be great to spend that same amount of time, even now, together. And the only _Lights and Action_ is right here in Bayport, so I'd have to spend some time with you here, huh?"

Joe breathed shakily. "Well, yeah. I mean, that was the idea. Oh, well. I tried." He shrugged with a small smile.

"You did great," Frank answered. "I love it. Or—well, I would have loved it," he quipped with a wink.

"Open your gift, Joe," Frank said, simply, and handed his brother a small box.

"Okay," Joe answered and tore the paper off readily. Inside was a box that contained a key.

"Oh my God! You bought me a car?!" Joe asked, incredulous.

Frank burst out laughing. "Um…. NO," he answered. "I just bought a ring, bro. I'm a little strapped for cash."

"Oh," Joe answered, laughing himself. "Then what's this for?"

"This is your gift," Frank replied sincerely. "If you want it, that is."

Joe furrowed his brow, but Frank spoke up.

"Joe, my surprise is this, and Dad knows about it and has helped me. You know how I stayed at school a lot over the past years and took extra courses and how I stayed at UCLA with Callie this summer? Well, I did all that to finish my major and to conduct research. I'm done, Joe. I' graduated early and I finished school. Coach wasn't too happy, but he understood why."

"That's… that's great, Frank. Congrats. Only you could graduate early from an Ivy League School," he finished proudly. "But what does that have to do with me?"

"Well," Frank responded in answer, "I'm coming home, Joe. I'm going to start interning at the Bayport PD and working with Dad a lot, too. When you're done with school, we can start the business together, just like we'd always planned."

Joe felt his eyes brim with tears that he quickly blinked back.

"So, I know that you're tired of dorm life, and I personally have no desire to move back with Mom and Dad. I figured you might need a roommate. I've taken the liberty of renting an apartment by your school."

"Really?" Joe managed, his voice thick with tears.

"Yup," Frank answered. "I mean, I'll probably drive you crazy and don't think for an instant that you can be a slob and have Vanessa over all the time to help you clean. If you'll recall, I'm not THAT easy to live with!" he exclaimed happily.

"But—what about Callie?" Joe whispered.

"Callie and I want to wait until we're married to move in together. We think it'll make it even more special. Plus, Callie still has a semester to finish at UCLA, don't forget."

By now, Joe was openly wiping back the tears. "But what about California? I had those weird dreams and…"

"And I am NOT planning on having ten kids, little brother. I'm not a sailor who goes around the world and leaves you behind, nor is my bride to be trying to be an actress. In fact," Frank went on, "her career is in journalism, which she'll be able to pursue in New York city as we work here. She's moving East for me, Joe; I'm not moving West."

Callie and Vanessa's excited chatter rang out in the background and Joe felt his heart grow warm.

As Joe looked into his brother's eyes, he realized a lot of things.

Maybe Vanessa had been right. Maybe Christmas wasn't about the perfect gift.

Maybe it wasn't about living in the past or worrying about the future. After all, the past was always idealized and the future was uncertain at best.

Maybe the true Christmas gift was living in the moment, in the present tense, and appreciating what you had for as long as you had it.

"Merry Christmas, big brother," Joe managed as he reached over and hugged Frank tightly. "That was the BEST gift you have ever given me."

Miles and miles away, the young boy was outside playing in the snow. He should have been trying to have fun, but his older brother was in middle school and had left him behind. He'd tried to think of something clever to get him for Christmas, something was would be awesome to do and make him remember that little brothers were important, too, even if they weren't as cool as middle- schoolers.

He didn't have much money, though, so his hopes were pretty much dashed. Y _ou know what would have been cool?_ he thought. _Beating my big brother at that new Laser Tag place that just got built where the old one used to be. At least we could have hung out_.

Then, in the glint of the moonlight, he saw a little wrapped box. Curious, he opened the paper. How had it ended up here?

Looking at the little gift card, he smiled.

Awesome.

 **THE END**

Merry Christmas!


End file.
